Confessions of an Addict [#21]: Quality Reads

Do you ever find yourself visiting another book blog, then somehow leave feeling like the books you’ve been reading are a joke? Not because they’re badly written but you feel like you haven’t gained anything of substance from the hundreds of books that you’ve read? Do you ever feel inadequate?

I have those days.

I’ve found a reader on Instagram whose choices simply blow me away. She started a blog but she hasn’t updated in a while. From the few reviews that she’d posted, I can tell how intelligent this reader really is. I was a little shock (star struck was more like it) when she followed me on Instagram. And to be honest, I felt a little intimidated at first.

You know how they tell you that you shouldn’t feel embarrassed for the books that you chose to read? Yeah. I keep telling myself that. But somedays, I feel so inferior – especially when I see what she’s read, what she recommends, and how she interacts with her followers. This girl can write a very detailed, unbiased, smart book recommendations on the tiny screen of her phone without flinching. I can guarantee you that she’s read at least one or two books on the annual Booker list or maybe even Printz.

Through her, I also found this man: A Guy’s Moleskine Notebook, who reads literature like I read Erotica. You want to talk about a well-read person? Matt is the guy. He’s got a no-frills blog, with incomparable book reviews that make me feel such a hack.

Last Saturday, when I was at my bookstore, I spent most of my time browsing than picking up anything. I found myself just over thinking which books I should purchase. I know I shouldn’t feel guilty for being stuck on a certain genre, but sometimes, I get this overwhelming feeling of inadequacy.

I know I shouldn’t compare myself to anyone, but do you ever feel like reading should be more than just being entertained?

Sometimes, reading bad books make me feel like I’ve just had dirty sex with an unknown person. It left me satisfied, sure. But I feel completely empty afterwards.

“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone is thinking.” – Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood